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| CHROMODORIS KUNIEI |
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 ONE HUNDRED FAMOUS VIEWS OF EDO (TOKYO) NUMBER THIRTY-FOUR |
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| NIGHT VIEW OF MATSUCHIYAMA AND THE SAN'YA CANAL |
| To many Western viewers, there is doubtless something sinister about this dark scene and its strange figure.
On closer inspection, however, it is in fact filled with bits of brightness, and the connotations might better be described as sultry than sinister. Consider, for example, the background across the river, to which our attention is directed by the title. The San'ya Canal is the small inlet we see to the right, its entrance punctuated by the pillars of Imado Bridge. To either side of the bridge are the warm and alluring lights of two restaurants--the Yumeiro (just founded one year earlier) to the right and the Takeya to the left. Moving from background to foreground, we encounter another array of brightness--the stars in the sky as reflected in the water below. And then there is the woman, the geisha who follows the bright lantern of her attendant along the embankment, perhaps returning from a banquet at one of the restaurants nereby. Legend says that this is Koman, a favorite of Hiroshige himself. |
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| GALLANT EXPLOIT OF CAPTAIN STRONG, OF THE SECOND WISCONSIN VOLUNTEERS |
| The scene depicted in the illustration above is described in the following letter:
September 10, 1861. To the Editor of Harper's Weekly: I herewith forward you an excellent photograph of Captain William E. Strong, Company F (Belle City Rifles), Second Regiment Wisconsin Volunteers taken by Mr. John Golden, Whitehurst's Gallery, this city. While on duty extending our line of pickets, three miles northwest of Chain Bridge, on Friday last, Captain Strong was taken prisoner. As he neared the river he left three men while, according to the orders of Major Larrubee, he reconnoitred, preparatory to assigning them positions. Having proceeded about a quarter of a mile without discovering the slightest trace of the enemy, he returned by a slightly different route to avoid the rough road he had passed over, when he suddently was surrounded by six rebel pickets--two cavalry and four infantry. The Captain surrendered; and while they marched him about twenty rods, amused themselves by applying the choicest epithets, and promising themselves the pleasure of a hanging bee. The Captain wondered they did not disarm him, but still did not see any way of escape until one of them, noticing his splendid pair of revolvers, said they would relieve him of them. "Certainly, gentlemen," said the Captain, drawing them from his belt behind him, and cocking them silently; "here they are!" As he said the words he fired each, and two men fell dead at his feet, while he wheeled and secured cover in some thick bushes, eluding the immediate pursuit of all except two bullets, one of which pierced his canteen, the other, a small round pistol ball, passing through his left cheek and coming out of his mouth, without injuring a single tooth, but slightly cutting his tongue! Emerging from the cover of the thicket, he was headed off by one of the mounted men, who presented his carbine close to the Captain's breat. Here the young man's presence of mind (or natural shrinking) saved him; for as the horsemen fired he suddenly wheeled, the charge penetrating his coat, vest, and shirt (discoloring the buttons), and slightly grazing his body. The rider's horse bounding forward at this moment, Captain Strong returned the compliment, putting a bullet in the rebel's shoulder, and had the satisfaction of seeing him fall from his horse, one foot remaining in the stirrup, his head striking the ground and stumps every time the affrighted horse jumped. In a moment more he was met by some of the picket who heard the firing, completely exhausted from the uneven contest and the loss of blood from his wound. |
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| VAL KILMER (Caricature) |
| A little more than 200 years ago Australia was sparsely populated by aborigines. In 1788 first European settlers arrived in Australia with the First Fleet by order of Lord Sydney for the transportation of 750 of British convicts. Altogether there were 1487 people out of which 1030 stayed in Australia. Out of this number of people there is a population of 18 million now.
What is the Outback? The view that the Outback is not really a place but an outlook, is backed by Margaret Alston, associate professor at the Centre for Rural Social Research at Charles Sturt University, Bathurst. Anyone trying to define the Outback in geographical terms will fail, she says: "I think it is more a state of mind. It refers to somewhere remote. But people who might seem isolated to those living in Sydney don't necessarily see themselves that way." Ask people out west, Dr Alston says, and no matter how remote they may be living, "they often think the Outback refers to someone living further west than them." In that, she is supported by the Cambridge Dictionary of Australian Places. It's definition? "A geographically indeterminate term applied to isolated regions in Australia's interior. It is indeterminate because, in most parts of Australia, it is used to refer to some place farther west (or north, south or east) than the place where the discussion is taking place." |
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| Sturt's Desert Pea (Clianthus Formosus) |
| One of Australia's most flamboyant flowers, Sturt's Desert Pea is found over much of the hot, dry inland where it grows and blooms rapidly after rain. |
| Sturt's Desert Pea is the floral emblem of South Australia. The genus derives its name from two Greek words "kleos" (glory) and "anthos" (a flower) while the specific name "formosus" refers to the handsome appearance of the flower. |
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| Origin of name: Historically the plant is associated with the early explorations of South Australia. Captain Charles Sturt in his "Expedition into Central Australia" describes finding this plant in 1845 "towards Coopers Creek." Since that time his name has always been associated with the flower. |
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| Aerial view of Ayers Rock in one of the world's most barren and beautiful regions---Australia's great outback. |
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| In Australia's Red Centre stands a place sacred to the Mala (hare wallaby) people: the extraordinary rock formations of Kata Tjuta. The rocks are a group of more than 30 brooding, red masses that thrust out of the desert floor. The Aboriginal name means 'many heads.' You can see Ayers Rock in the background.
The "Red Centre" of Australia is so-named by the red color of the soil due to the presence of iron oxide. |
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Coober Pedy is located in remote mid-north of the state, 850km (528 miles) north of Adelaide and 700km (435 miles) south of Alice Springs. It is on the Stuart Highway between Adelaide and Alice Springs. Opal was first discovered by Jim Hutchison at the Coober Pedy opal field in 1914. By 1917 opal miners came to settle and try their luck and, after the Great War (1914-18) returned soldiers drifted to the fields to seek their fortune.
Coober Pedy was named by the local Progress and Miners Association in 1922 from the aboriginal 'Kupa Piti', meaning white man's hole, or waterhole. |
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| Many of the town's residents live underground in 'dug-outs.' Begun as mines, these comfortable homes develop as the mine gets larger and larger. Fully furnished and decorated they are an ideal way of living in the hot climate of the desert, and the natural insulation keeps temperatures constant. Many are lit by cutting holes out through individual channels, and concreting glass panels into the holes. |
| Below is an underground hotel. |
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| COOBER PEDY HOME |
| Coober Pedy has such a unique setting that it was chosen as the site for movies such as Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, Fire in the Stone, Ground Zero, Until the End of the World, Stark, Pitch Black, and Siam Sunset. (Besides, what could they hurt?) |
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| Severe weather at Coober Pedy |
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| The Hairy-Nosed or Plains Wombat (Lasiorhinus latifrons) was adopted by the Government as the animal emblem of South Australia on 27 August 1970.
It is a marsupial mammal indigenous to Australia and totally protected in South Australia. The generic name, Lasiorhinus, means hairy-nosed and the specific name, latifrons, means broad-fronted. |
| The Hairy-Nosed Wombat is a thick-set powerful mammal with a broad blunt head, small pointed ears, short muscular legs, strongly clawed feet and a rudimentary tail. It has soft grey-brown silky fur.
Adults are up to 30cm high (12 inches), 75 to 95cm long (30-37 inches), and weigh between 18 and 32 kilos 39-70 pounds). The animal is adapted to life in semi-arid and arid zones and, apart from some small colonies in the south-east of Western Australia, is confined to South Australia. It is most abundant on Eyre Peninsula, the Gawler Ranges and the Nullarbor Plain. Smaller colonies occur on the west bank of the Murray River and on Yorke Peninsula. The Hairy-Nosed Wombat is essentially a plains dweller inhabiting many combinations of soils and vegetation, especially open woodlands and shrublands. It is a very powerful digger - only deterred by soft sand and unbroken sheet limestone - and excavates deep cool, humid burrows which are essential for survival in its hot, waterless environment. The wombat feeds exclusively on plant material which often is its only source of water. A single young measuring only 2cm (.78 inch) in length, is born between September and January and remains entirely confined to its mother's backwardly directed pouch for the next five months. After this, the young ventures out for increasing periods, continuing to suckle while accustoming itself to adult food. Young wombats continue to live in their mothers' burrows for a further two years before being driven out. |
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| One of South Australia's many beautiful flowers---Banksia coccinea. The common name of Scarlet Banksia is very appropriate for this species.
Coccinea Banksias are a sparkling scarlet color which really makes an impact in all arrangements showing the true beauty of Australian wildlife. The flower measures approximately 6cm (3 inches) in diameter, and has an intricate pattern of spikelike tentacles. They make a beautiful centerpiece for any arrangement. |
| This species is generally a shrub to about 4 meters (13 feet) but can grow taller. The leaves are broad with toothed margins. The conspicuous flowers are fairly squat in comparison with other Banksias. The spikes are about 100mm (3-4 inches) wide by a similar length and are held terminally on the stems. They are seen in late winter through to early summer (June to January). The seeds are enclosed in follicles attached to a woody cone and are generally retained within the cone until burnt.
The plant is fire-sensitive in that it does not have lignotuber for vegetative regeneration after bushfires. The species relies on seed for regeneration. B.coccinea is a very desirable garden plant because of its dramatic habit and spectacular flowers. However, it readily succumbs to the root rot fungus Phytophthora cinnamomi, which flourishes in areas of summer rainfall and humidity. Thus, cultivation of this plant is next to impossible on the east coast from Sydney northward. It prefers sandy, very well drained soils and has been grown with some success on the sandy soils of the Mornington Peninsula, southeast of Melbourne, as well as in Adelaide. The terminal flowers are ideal for cut flower arrangements and plantations of suitable forms of the species for the cut flower trade are being developed in suitable areas. B.coccinea 'Waite Flame' and 'Waite Crimson', which were developed at the Waite Institute near Adelaide, are two examples of this. |
 | The Piping Shrike, or white-backed magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen leuconota) is the South Australian bird emblem. Present in virtually every backyard, park and street in South Australia, this irrepressible bird was ready-made as a State symbol of resourcefulness and bravery. Easily recognizable by its strong black and white coloring, the shrike also has a sweet, melodious song. |
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| The male's back is entirely white, while the female's back is more of a mottled gray.
The natural habitat of the shrike is open woodland, although the birds have adapted well to urban and agricultural living, and they feed on insects--including many harmful pests--lizards and carrion. |
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| They build cup-shaped nests in trees or bushes and lay three to five greenish-blue or reddish-grey eggs between August and October. Fearless in defending her nest and young, the female shrike is well-known for swooping and diving at potential intruders during the nesting season. |
| The koala is well suited to life in the trees. The koala has an excellent sense of balance and its body is lean and muscular and its quite long, strong limbs support its weight when climbing. The arms and legs are nearly equal in length and the koala's climbing strength comes from the thigh muscle joining the shin much lower than in other animals.
Its paws are especially adapted for gripping and climbing with rough pads on the palms and soles helping it to grip tree trunks and branches. Both front and hind paws have long sharp claws and each paw has five digits. On the front paw, two fingers are opposed to the other three, rather like a human's thumb, so they are able to be moved in opposition to the fingers. This allows the koala to grip more securely. On the hind paw, there is no claw on the big toe, and the second and third toes are fused together to form a "grooming claw." |  |
| Koalas have a thick woolly fur which protects them from both high and low temperatures. It also acts like a "raincoat" to repel moisture when it rains. The fur varies in color from light gray to brown, with patches of white on the chest and neck, inside arms and legs and inside the ears. Mature males are recognisable by the brown "scent gland" in the center of their white chest. |
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| The fur on the koala's bottom is densely packed to provide a "cushion" for the hard branches it sits on, and has a "speckled" appearance which makes koalas hard to spot from the ground.
An adult male koala can weigh between 8 (17.63 pounds) and 14 kilograms (30.86 pounds), and a female between 6 and 11 kilograms (13.22 and 24.25 pounds), with the heavier animals coming from the southern areas where they have adapted to the colder climate by an increase in body weight and thicker fur. [To convert kilograms into pounds, multiply by 2.2046.] |  |
| Koalas are mostly nocturnal animals and they are most active during the night and at dawn and dusk. This is because in the cooler hours they are less likely to lose precious moisture and energy than they would during the hotter daylight hours. An average of eighteen to twenty hours each day is spent resting and sleeping, and the remainder for feeding, moving around, grooming and social interaction. |
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| AWAITING THE CAPTAIN Michael Haynes http://www.mhaynesart.com |
| (CONTINUED...)
CLARK THE POSSIBLE DONOR The story's truthfulness is further bolstered by evidence that the collar's donor may have been none other than William Clark. The museum that displayed Seaman's collar almost certainly was part of a Masonic lodge--specifically, Alexandria-Washington Lodge #22 (known simply as Alexandria Lodge until 1805, when the name was changed to honor its late member George Washington). We know that by 1812 the lodge had established a museum, for on August 21 of that year lodge official Thomas Sanford wrote Clark to thank him for the "truly valuable Present made by you to our infant Museum....We esteem them Sir as Curiosities deserving to be ranked amongst the first in our Infant Establishment," The items Clark donated are not described, but one of those "Curiosities" could well have been Seaman's collar. Given his close association with Lewis and his role in examining some of Lewis's effects after his death, it's certainly possible that Clark would have had the collar in his possession. Lewis and Clark were both masons, so it's also reasonable to assume that Clark would have given this keepsake to a masonic museum. It would be wonderful to report that the collar, or at least a listing of it in the museum's inventory, still exists. Unfortunately, neither the artifact nor any official record of it can be found. Jack Riddell, a member of Alexandria, Washington Lodge #22 and curator of the replica lodge room of the old Alexandria Lodge #22, checked the lodge's records, including its minute books and museum catalog, but found no mention of either a dog collar or any gifts by William Clark. But Riddell acknowledges that the museum's records, like those of many institutions, are incomplete. A fire in 1871 destroyed many of the museum's artifacts--including, presumably, Seaman's collar--although its catalog and the lodge's minute books were saved. Was it Seaman's fate to die keeping vigil at his master Lewis's grave? Perhaps we will never definitely know; but the inscription and note about him recorded in Alden's book, together with Sanford's letter and the information provided by Jack Riddell as supporting facts, provide a creditable explanation of the fate of the Corps of Discovery's faithful canine. |
| Photographer, conservationist; born in San Francisco. A commercial photographer for 30 years, he made visionary photos of western landscapes that were inspired by a boyhood trip to Yosemite. He won three Guggenheim grants to photograph the national parks (1944--58). Founding the f/64 group with Edward Weston in 1932, he developed zone exposure to get maximum tonal range from black-and-white film. He served on the Sierra Club Board (1934--71). |  |
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| CANYON DE CHELLY NATIONAL MONUMENT, ARIZONA |
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| WHITE HOUSE RUIN, CANYON DE CHELLY NATIONAL MONUMENT, ARIZONA |
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| MOONLIGHT WOLF Frederic Remington |
| Frederic Sackrider Remington (October 4, 1861 – December 26, 1909) was an American painter, illustrator, sculptor, and writer who specialized in depictions of the Old American West, specifically concentrating on the last quarter of the 19th century American West and images of cowboys, American Indians, and the U.S. Cavalry. |  |
| PART FOUR |
| Remington continued sketching but at this point his results were still cartoonish and amateur.
After less than a year, he sold his ranch and went home. After acquiring more capital from his mother, he returned to Kansas City to start a hardware business, but due to an alleged swindle, it failed, and he reinvested his remaining money as a silent, half-owner of a saloon. He went home to marry Eva Caten in 1884 and they returned to Kansas City immediately. She was unhappy with his saloon life and was unimpressed by the sketches of saloon inhabitants that Remington regularly showed her. When his real occupation became known, she left him and returned to Ogdensburg. With his wife gone and with business doing badly, Remington started to sketch and paint in earnest, and bartered his sketches for essentials. He soon had enough success selling his paintings to locals to see art as a real profession. Remington returned home again, his inheritance gone but his faith in his new career secured, reunited with his wife and moved to Brooklyn. He began studies at the Art Students League of New York and significantly bolstered his fresh though still rough technique. His timing was excellent as newspaper interest in the dying West was escalating. He submitted illustrations, sketches, and other works for publication with Western themes to Collier's and Harper's Weekly, as his recent Western experiences (highly exaggerated) and his hearty, breezy “cowboy” demeanor gained him credibility with the eastern publishers looking for authenticity. His first full page cover under his own name appeared in Harper's Weekly on January 9, 1886, when he was twenty-five. With financial backing from his Uncle Bill, Remington was able to pursue his art career and support his wife. |
| DISCLAIMER: Material used in Bitts and Bytes is gathered from various sources--mainly the World Wide Web.
Authorship cannot always be credited nor the source defined. Authenticity of material is assumed to be correct, but is not guaranteed. |  |